...Jane Doe Professor Urkel ENG-225 24 February 2012 Application of Aristotle's Poetics in the work Apology by Plato According to Aristotle, the criterion that is expressed in Poetics should be based on the matter, subjects and method. For example; for matter, the melody, rhythm and language are the key considerations to be looked into. The subjects in Poetics usually bring out the character traits that are related to human characteristics. This is what brings out the difference between tragic events and comic events in a work of poetry. For tragic events, the character in most instances is usually considered to be more honest, serious and considered to be very important in society. While comic characters are usually considered to be less important in the society and not dignified. The method used could involve the use of direct speech, dialogue or quoted speech. These are the major poetic criteria used by Aristotle and applied in the work Apology by Plato. Plot structure and character are also an important part described Poetics. Plot structure is basically the plan of the work. For Apology, this can be considered into the action or the events that are taking place through this work. For example, there is recognition of the characters and an evidence of the suffering of the main character, Socrates. According to Aristotle, a good plot is one that is complex for the human understanding which can be seen in the Apology. There is the evidence of fear as well as pity for...
Words: 1227 - Pages: 5
...Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Arthur, Miller, “Tragedy and Common man” & Aristotle Poetics A tragic hero according Aristotle’s Poetics, is an ideal noble man with a flaw. Oedipus fits into the context of a flawed man, a man with given stature, and catharsis that propel him into a tragic hero. Oedipus as a tragic hero is caring concerned king whom the people trusted and loved. However, his impulsive temper caused him to make mistakes. On, the other, hand, Willie Lowman was a tragic hero as he was ready to lay down his love for the love of his family. Miller gives the flawed sense of a tragic hero in the sense of personal dignity that Lowman is willing to fulfill even in his death. The characteristics that Miller offers in terms catharsis and stature fits Lowman, he involved himself in a car accident so that his son Biff could use the insurance money to start a business and become a successful person in the society. This paper will discuss Willie Lowman, and Oedipus, as tragic heroes based on the stature, tragic flaw, and catharsis in their respective stories. A tragic hero according to Miller is a common person as opposed to the belief that a tragic hero must be a form of a king. He says, “we are often held to be below tragedy or tragedy below us……… that tragedy fits only for the highly placed… where this admission is not made in so many words it is often implied.” A tragic hero, therefore, is a common and both a highly placed person in the society. The belief that...
Words: 995 - Pages: 4
...Aristotle’s Poetics I have been fortunate enough to have read Aristotle’s Poetics numerous times, from a variety of different aspects. This fascinating piece of literature opens up a new way of thought in terms of analyzing literary context together with art; it is amazing that Aristotle was so well disposed in terms of literary analysis given his time period. Aristotle is able to expand our understanding of that which is being reflected through art. In his poetics, Aristotle also shows us how to tell the difference between a genuine poetic artist, and one who writes words in a rhythmic tone and accredits themselves the honor of being a poet. There are many different forms in which a poem can be delivered, some are more difficult to utilize than others. The simple forms of poetry could have very well come to be by sheer accident, it is important that a poem have a specific structure, as well as a relevant point, if it is to be considered a legitimate work of poetic art. Finding the structure of a poem, or any art rendition, should not be too difficult if one has fully grasped an understanding of the foundation. Aristotle explains the differences of the arts and their various forms quite thoroughly in the opening of his Poetics. There are a few types of poetry that are important for us to be able to recognize right from the start, these forms are that of imitation: epic, tragedy, dithyrambic, and music. Imitation is the projection of human thoughts and emotion through various...
Words: 845 - Pages: 4
...The philosopher Aristotle wrote his work Poetics as a deconstruction of aesthetics approximately 50 years after the death of Sophocles, the author of Oedipus Rex. Aristotle was a great admirer of the works of Sophocles and is said to have considered Oedipus Rex to be the perfect tragedy and the basis for his thoughts in Poetics. He defines tragedy as, “an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play; in the form of action, not of narrative; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions…Every tragedy, therefore, must have six parts, which parts determine its quality – namely, plot, characters, diction, thought, spectacle, melody”. The work Oedipus Rex fits very well into this structure using the specific characteristics of; late point of attack, exposition, several key incidents, climax, catharsis, protagonist, antagonist, hamartia, anagorismos, metabasis, and perpetia. Aristotle’s first principle of tragedy is that of the plot. He defines the plot as how the incidents are presented to the audience in the structure of the play. This is the most important of the parts and holds the meat and potatoes of a tragedy. According to Poetics the best plots should be complex, arouse fear and pity, and involve a high degree of suffering for the protagonist. These are all seen in Oedipus Rex...
Words: 892 - Pages: 4
...century, including Hamlet, Othello and Macbeth. Aristotle's definition of a tragedy is that a tragedy is an imitation (mimesis) of an action that is morally admirable. Aristotle is a philosopher who wrote about poetry, poetry being epic, drama, and lyric for Aristotle, in his work “Poetics”. He said in his work that a tragedy should be composed by an introduction, a middle part and an ending. According to Aristotle the fable (mythos) is more important than the characters in the play. It is so because the purpose with the tragedy, according to Aristotle, is to make the audience feel pity (eleos) and fear (fobos) and as a result achieve an emotional cleansing(Catharsis). In order to bring those feelings to the audience the tragedy must be complex. The tragedy must involve a peripeteia, meaning that a great person experiences a turning point, a reversal of fortune. This turning point must be caused by a mistake, the tragic hero's mistake (hamartia). This reversal of fortune cannot be prevented but it is an unforeseen result of the mistake the tragic hero makes. The tragic hero must during the play achieve a revelation(anagnorisis) that means that the hero will go from not knowing to knowing, and that could be about anything. All these elements are what makes a tragedy a good tragedy according to Aristotle. In 1963 Gustav Freytag, a...
Words: 1243 - Pages: 5
...Aristotle’s Poetics Reflected In “The Lottery” And The Bourne Identity “The Lottery” reflects Aristotle’s Poetics in many ways, such as, the arrangement of incidents. In establishing the plot, Jackson lays out the tragedy clearly by first having the most eager group of the community, the children, gathering then followed by the other townsfolk. One action is as the children arrive they began to pile stones that we later discover to be most crucial in the ending action, the stoning of Tessie. Following are incidents setting the stage for the drawing itself as the box is placed on the stool and Mr. Graves assumes his usual spot and the families continue to gather. Aristotle describes the plot as a painting with beautiful colors, laid on confusedly. The readers are brought into “The Lottery” with some confusion. The scene opens pleasantly on the morning of June 27th a clear and sunny day with children playing in the square. Jackson cleverly lures the readers into a relaxed state before shocking them in the end with a stoning assumingly to death. As the chalk outline of the portrait is shown by Tessie’s character when she first arrives good-naturedly with good odds of surviving the day. When Bill draws the slip of paper with the black dot that seals one of her family members fate Tessie quickly revels her moral purpose as an unsavory character by her action of trying to include as many family members as possible on the second drawing...
Words: 496 - Pages: 2
...sufferings or emotions that the hero experiences. He has a 'tragic flaw' - this could be a personality trait (like greed, lust, ambition, jealousy, etc.), OR an error in judgement (a bad decision). This 'tragic flaw' leads to his downfall - usually ruins his career, reputation, power, etc. He is enlightened at the end of the story, meaning he realizes where he went wrong, he is humble, and he accepts the consequences . A tragic hero is a character in a work of fiction (often the protagonist) who commits an action or makes a mistake which eventually leads to his or her defeat. The idea of the tragic hero was created in ancient Greek tragedy and defined by Aristotle (and others). Usually, this includes the realization of the error (anagnorisis), which results in catharsis or epiphany. Aristotelian tragic hero Characteristics Aristotle once said that "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall." An Aristotelian tragic hero must have four characteristics: Nobility (of a noble birth) or wisdom (by virtue of birth). Hamartia (translated as flaw, mistake, or error, not an Elizabethan tragic flaw). A reversal of fortune(peripetia) brought about because of the hero's Hamartia. The discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero's own actions (anagnorisis). Other common traits Some other common traits characteristic of a tragic hero: Hero must suffer more than he deserves. Hero must be doomed from the start, but bear...
Words: 1753 - Pages: 8
...by Shakespeare such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, or Macbeth. A common feature that all of these works share is that they were all written around and/or before the sixteenth century. One might be surprised, however, to discover that stories are still being written in today’s societies that follow the elements of Aristotelian theory. One story written in relatively recent history is that of "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. which in many aspects, can be considered a Aristotelian tragedy. Aristotle described a tragedy as a story that consisted of a tragic hero and a plot that would generate fear and pity in its audience. In this story, fourteen-year-old Harrison Bergeron valiantly attempts to break free from an equality-based society, but is quickly denied by the authoritative force of the government. The most important element in Aristotelian tragedy is the plot of a story. Aristotle states in Poetics that a story must consist of a beginning, middle, and end (Aristotle, 7). "Harrison Bergeron" fits this description very well because the beginning, middle, and end can be clearly identified while reading the story. The story opens by giving a description of what the society people live in is like. "THE YEAR WAS 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren't only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way" (1). By reading this description of what life was like, one gets the idea that people lived in a totalitarian-based society. As the...
Words: 1178 - Pages: 5
...Aristotle took a teleological approach to nearly all his studies, as he thought that determining natural purposes was the path to the most fundamental principles governing the world. Thus, in biology, he sought to understand the purposes of various organs and characterized species in light of these purposes. Regarding ethics and politics, he tried to establish that man's purpose was to participate in the political community, since what separates him from the animals is reason and language (which allows man to debate). With this natural purpose established, he went on to argue that man is complete only as a member of a community and that the ultimate form of association was the city-state. Teleology also played a role in his famous theory of the Four Causes. He argued that natural science must not only take into account causes such as origin or form, but also the final aim. Thus health could be called one of the causes of exercise, even while the reverse was also true. For Aristotle, what is virtue and how do we acquire it? Virtue, for Aristotle, is the developed ability to recognize the right or good thing to do. In many situations, no rulebook can tell us exactly how to act. Thus a virtuous person must possess the appropriate disposition that can recognize–as if by instinct–the correct course of action. This skill is not, however, simply innate. Rather, we acquire virtue by the development of good habits, and in turn, habit is developed by the appropriate exercise of reason...
Words: 571 - Pages: 3
...Jennifer Canon PHI - 2010-15850 T 7PM Aristotle the Great Philosopher The Greek philosopher Aristotle made significant and lasting contributions to nearly every aspect of human knowledge, from logic to biology to ethics and aesthetics. In Arabic philosophy, he was known simply as “The First Teacher”; in the West, he was “The Philosopher.” Aristotle was born in 384 B.C. northern Greece in a town called Stagria . Both of his parents were members of traditional medical families, and his father, Nicomachus, served as court physician to King Amyntus III of Macedonia. Some believe it to be his father's influence that gave Aristotle his interest in anatomy and the structure of living things in general. At age 17 he went to Athens to enroll in Plato's Academy. He spent the next 20 years first as a student and then as a teacher at the school. When he left the school he emerged as a great teacher and had many opinions about his teacher Plato. For the next five years, Aristotle went to the coast of Asia Minor as a guest of former students at Assos and Lesbos. It was here that he began his research into marine biology and married his wife Pythias, with whom he had his only daughter, also named Pythias. In 342 Aristotle was summoned to Macedonia by King Philip II to tutor his son, the future Alexander the Great. Although speculation concerning Aristotle's influence upon the developing Alexander has proven irresistible to historians, in fact little concrete is known about...
Words: 1004 - Pages: 5
...Assignment 1 Extract 4 (Sophocles, Oedipus the King) In Greek Tragedy the medium, as in all forms of poetry is language, to convey a story through an imitation of an action, or as Aristotle defines in S.H. Butcher’s translation of Poetics “Tragedy is a mimesis of a praxis.” (Jones, 2000). This translates to an imitation/ representation of an action. Oedipus the King is structured into five episodes with a prologue to begin, each scene is introduced by the Chorus (the citizens of Thebes) who depict the state of affairs within Thebes. The city is plagued, as a Priest describes to Oedipus “look around you, see with your own eyes- our ship pitches wildly, cannot lift her head from the depths, the red waves of death… Thebes is dying. A blight on the fresh crops and rich pastures, cattle sicken and die, and the women die in labor, children stillborn, and the plague, the fiery god of fever hurls down on the city.” (L 28 – 34) This shows us that Thebes is being punished, and Oedipus, as the King of Thebes is begged by his subjects to put an end to the curse. This shows a good use of dramatic irony, as in fact it was Oedipus who is responsible for the actions of the gods. Oedipus has two conflicts going on within him, the first is that he does not want to kill who he believes is his father, “the man who reared me” (L 916) and the second is he does not want to lay with his mother. These conflicts have followed Oedipus and his father Laius...
Words: 913 - Pages: 4
...of Solomon has traits within its plot and characters that make it comparable to some of the classic tragedies. According to Aristotle in his Poetics, a tragic hero must have a reversal of fortune, hamartia which is a flaw in judgement or character as well as a realization of that flaw later on, and their character must be true to life. Pilate Dead, despite being a more minor character in the novel, is the tragic hero within the plot of Song of Solomon. Pilate experienced her reversal of fortune rather early in her life. Some might argue that this was in the days after her birth, in which it was revealed that she lacked a navel, causing people to judge her for the rest of her life. But the most obvious change in her fortune...
Words: 905 - Pages: 4
...Counter-Arguments Pg. 4-6 4. Conclusion Pg. 7 5.Citations. Pg. 8 Aristotle’s approach to philosophy is a little different from Plato’s. Aristotle was fascinated by the intellectual challenge of forming categories and breaking down forms of knowledge whether it were in writing or being performed in a play. Plato would elaborate on the central concern of love between men and gods, the proper kind of love that must be maintained to attempt to cure the kind of love that is dead (Plato pg. 880). With the knowledge gained from learning about Plato’s philosophy of love and Aristotle’s thirst to preach about how everything can be broken down into systems, I’m leaning toward Plato’s ways of thinking of human nature, and Love in a way but I want to say my heart is on Aristotle’s abstract systems yet direct dry ways. From poetics, Aristotle would speak of the constituent parts of tragedy (Aristotle pg....
Words: 1452 - Pages: 6
...the face of grave consequences. However, upon considering the details of the story, and the definition of a “tragic hero” as defined by Aristotle, it seems that, while Antigone may be considered the hero or martyr of the story, Creon is the true Tragic Hero. Creon represents the characteristics of a morally sound man who is nonetheless subject to error. His fate is evidently greater than the error committed, and in spite of his pride, he comes to the realization that the curse of his fate was brought by his actions. These defining traits establish Creon’s significance as the tragic hero of “Antigone”. One of the most compelling factors to prove that Creon is a tragic hero as opposed to Antigone is his depiction as a noble, or “good” person, in the context of his fate. As described in Poetics, “Concerning "character" there are four points to aim at. The first and most important is that the character should be good. The play will show character if… the...
Words: 1008 - Pages: 5
...Aristotle’s Model: The Play as a Whole In Aristotle’s Poetics, Aristotle emphasizes three major elements of a good play: plot, character, and thought. To be more specific, in an Aristotelian play, thought sets the cause of action with character as emotion developer based on plot as the basic form. Besides these three main factors, the idea that a play should be a complete whole is also the basis of the Poetics (Aristotle 61). Therefore, when comparing the choices Lobby Hero by Kenneth Lonergan and The Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry for the play of the season, unification and regularity of all three elements. After comparing and contrasting both plays, Lobby Hero fits the Aristotle’s model’s three elements, plot, character and thought better than The Philadelphia Story does because Lobby Hero has a more consistent development of action, characters’ personality and emotions. The imitation of one action is very essential to construct a complete plot. Lobby Hero constructs a smooth unity of action in all of its plots while The Philadelphia Story’s imitation is vague. Although both plays have connected actions that make the structural union of all parts, Lobby Hero has a more surrounded action which is the pursuit of right things. Jeff repeatedly shows his ambition of lending help. For example, he praises William’s kindness when William is baffled by his brother’s incident; he also emphasizes his importance as a “safety specialist” to make himself sound superior. These series...
Words: 1454 - Pages: 6
